My Last Name
by Storm O
Summary: Will Falcon pop the question to Jinx or will he get cold feet?


O's Disclaimer: General disclaimers apply. I don't own any rights to GI Joe.

Special Thanks: Keiko is the name given to Jinx, and Robert is the name given to Vince's (Falcon) father. I am borrowing these names with permission _Scarlett Phoenix_. Also, _thanks_ to DesertFox for beta-reading this for me.

**My Last Name**

"Hurry up, bro. We've got to get going to meet the girls," Vincent Falcone stated eagerly as he paced the office floor.

"For someone who is always fashionably late, you sure are in a hurry tonight," Conrad Hauser teased his half-brother.

Vince rolled his eyes at Conrad before he retorted, "Yeah, well this is not easy for me. You had it much easier than I did."

"Oh really," Conrad raised an challenging eyebrow, "And what makes you say that? Shana and I didn't always see eye to eye. Hell, at first we went out of our way to ruffle each other's feathers."

Vince smirked at his older brother's comment. He remembered when Conrad first joined GI Joe, and how much he would complain to mom and dad about this fiery little redhead that kept him on his toes, day in and day out. She was as tough, if not tougher, than most of the guys, was precise and lethal with her weapons, and just a tad outspoken.

Vince also kept in mind a conversation that he had with Shana on one of the days after Conrad was stabbed by one of Serpentor's snake javelins. The anxiety and helplessness that they both had felt was uncanny. Vince was certain that his brother and Shana were destined to be together as husband and wife one day.

"Okay, little brother, let's go. Do you have everything?" Conrad asked, expecting a punch in the arm or some form of retaliation. Instead, he received a nod and noticed Vince's angst-ridden face. Conrad laughed aloud at his brother's expression, "Honest, Vince, it's not that bad. Once you work yourself up to it, it just kind of flows. Well, unless you forget what you were going to say, like I did."

"Oh yeah, my brother, the man of action, not words," Vince shot back at him. "You should have just tackled her during PT one morning and used that opportunity to pop the question."

The guys both chuckled. "Ah, but at least I remembered to say the most important words," Conrad said very confidently, although he remembered he had his doubts about if what he thought he said was actually what he said.

As the two men left the Army post that night, Conrad was behind the wheel of his 1969 Mustang. He enjoyed driving his "baby" when he could, and he made sure to drive it frequently right now because soon the family cars would be the primary source of transportation. A baby seat would not fit easily into his Mustang or his wife's Corvette, but that was the reason that the Chevrolet Trailblazer was the newest Hauser vehicle.

As they headed down the highway, Conrad looked over at his now unusually quiet brother. Vincent was staring out the passenger window, completely lost in thought. Vince thought about his father and his life growing up in the Falcone house. Of course, Conrad was a Hauser, but their mother never wished for his father, Robert Falcone, to adopt Conrad. After Conrad's father, Steven, was killed on the frontlines, the Hauser name was all that his mom and Conrad could cling to. When Robert returned from war months later, he felt that he had to go introduce himself to the widow of his fellow teammate and best friend. After a reasonable period of time, the two fell in love, and they were married a short time later. A year later, Vincent Falcone was born.

_

* * *

_Across town at a quaint, little restaurant, Shana was manipulating Keiko into believing that the two girls were meeting up with their men to have dinner and then head off to the movies. Keiko did not believe her friend tonight. "Shana, what is going on? Why did you make me wear a nice dress just to go to the movies? You know how I hate to dress up." 

"Oh, but you look so nice," Shana cooed in an envious tone. "And since I look like a beached whale, I needed you to look slender and stunning for both of us," she said as she rubbed her protruding belly.

"You do not look like a beached whale. You look like a glowing mother-to-be. I envy you. You and Conrad have the perfect marriage and soon will have the perfect family. Look at me, I'm still chasing after bird-boy, who I'm convinced doesn't have a commitment bone in his body. The boy is always late for work...and dates. Look, he's already late," Keiko huffed in exasperation.

"He should be here soon. Conrad is supposed to be with him so I'm sure they will be here momentarily." _He better be here soon. My brother-in-law better not have gotten cold feet. I'll kill him, unless Conrad already has,_ Shana thought to herself.

Vincent had been over to the Hauser house numerous times within the last few months, receiving pep talks from the two of them. He had become quite the uninvited guest, and Shana had started making herself scarce when Vince showed up to be talked in to or out of his future with Keiko. Shana loved him and Keiko and knew that they would make a cute husband and wife, but this "preparation" that Vince was putting them all through was torture.

Finally, the Mustang pulled into the parking lot, and parked next to Keiko's Honda. The two soldiers exited the car and made their way into the little restaurant to find their girls.

Conrad greeted his wife with a kiss and loving pat to her belly as he took a seat next to her. She smiled back at him and a look passed between the two them. _No, Vincent had not backed out...yet._

Vincent nervously took a seat next to Keiko. As he observed his brother kiss Shana, he also planted a small kiss on Keiko's lips. Keiko was ready to start badgering the men on punctuality when Shana, reading her friend's face, interrupted by suggesting that they decide on what to order so that they wouldn't miss the movie later tonight. The guys cast Shana a _what are you talking about _glare since a movie was not part of the plan. Thankfully, Keiko was too busy dissecting the menu to notice the small exchange. Vince even went as far as to open his mouth until a well-timed kick to the shin by Shana shut it for him. He gave her an evil eye, received a merciless glower from Conrad, and opened his menu to sulk in private.

The waitress approached the table and asked to take drink and appetizers orders. Vincent ordered a bottle of wine for the table sans a goblet of club soda for the mother-to-be and an order of crab cakes and stuffed mushrooms.

The two couples began to discuss the activities of their day. Keiko informed them that the building she wanted to open her martial arts school in had accepted her lease papers, and in two weeks, she would be venturing into the joys of owning her own small business. She had already appointed Shana as the bookkeeper until she was ready to help teach the students. She was also considering offering Alison a teaching job if the business venture took off and there was a need. Shana insisted that calling Alison now would be wise. She had no doubts that Keiko's school would be profitable and busy; her father's school was packed every day.

The arrival of their main entrees squelched the conversation as everyone enjoyed their meal, letting their thoughts wander. Conrad was thinking about the day he proposed to Shana, their wedding, and the wonderful news that he was going to be a father. Shana was praying that their little Hauser baby would make a timely entrance and be healthy. Keiko was anticipating the ownership of her own martial arts school. And, Vince was agonizing over how he was actually going to propose to Keiko. He glanced up once and caught his sister-in-law's look. She smiled reassuringly at him and gave him a nod. He felt like that was her little way of saying that this was the right moment.

Vince and Keiko had been steadily dating for a few years, and even though he knew that he did dumb things every other day, she always seemed to forgive him and continued to stand by his side, just like his father did. His father was proud of his sons and proud that they both, including Conrad's wife and Vince's girlfriend, had chosen to fight for freedom. Vince had joined the Special Forces and followed in his father's footsteps, until he was chosen to join the Joe team. As Robert had learned in his years in the military, freedom doesn't come free; it took special men and women to help make that happen.

_

* * *

_The waitress had returned to collect any empty dishes and take dessert orders. While the meal was delicious and the guests were full, no one could ever say no to dessert; dessert was the best part of the meal. The Hausers ordered a strawberry cheesecake and a cream brulee, while Keiko ordered a "Death by Chocolate" sundae, and Vince took his chances with a slice of the house specialty, caramel pie 

As the waitress disappeared with their orders, Shana excused herself for the "ladies" room. As expected, Keiko excused herself also. This gave the men the time needed to flag the waitress down so that they could strategically place the engagement ring around the little maraschino cherry that would top Keiko's sundae. The waitress was happy to oblige and even instigated a stall tactic to keep the women in the restroom longer.

After ten minutes, the women were "allowed" to return to their table. Keiko was quite upset at the whole fiasco, but surprised that the redheaded woman beside her hadn't gotten more upset than she had. Shana had a temper and wasn't afraid to use it on any poor innocent soul that was in her line of fire. Keiko was definitely curious of the sudden calm demeanor possessed by her friend but shrugged most of it off as having something to do with being pregnant.

As the girls took their seats at the table and a few questioning looks from the guys passed between them, the waitress appeared with their desserts. She placed the strawberry cheesecake in front of Shana, the cream brulee in front of Conrad, the caramel pie in front of Vince, and last but not least, the "Death by Chocolate" sundae in front of Keiko. Everyone, except for Keiko, immediately spotted the engagement ring adorning the maraschino cherry.

Agitated about the delay in the restroom, Keiko was lamenting her frustrations. "I can't believe you guys didn't send someone to come look for us. We could have been kidnapped, or Shana could have gone into labor, or something," she said as she diverted her attention to her sundae. She reached for the cherry when she spotted the ring. She gasped with embarrassment as she realized it was all a set-up.

Vince slid his chair back and knelt down on one knee. "Keiko, I know we have been through a lot together. You have stood by me through thick and thin. You have watched me be bailed out of trouble countless times, and somehow you continued to stick by me. No truer love exists than the love between you and I." Vincent paused; his brain did a complete shutdown. He couldn't remember the rest of his speech so he said, "Will you marry me?"

Keiko had tears in her eyes as she listened to Vince's speech. She nodded her head and whispered, "Yes".

The newly engaged couple embraced and kissed. Shana and Conrad smiled, and Conrad pulled his wife's hand to his lips for a kiss. A smile passed between them as they both remembered their engagement day. As Vince and Keiko separated, Vince grabbed the ring, wiped it off with his napkin, and slid the ring onto the third finger of her left hand. They kissed again.

_The End_


End file.
